Guus Hiddink provided the world with a couple of injury updates regarding John Terry, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa ahead of Chelsea FC’s FA Cup game with Everton.
The games keep coming thick and fast for Chelsea, with a huge FA Cup clash with Everton awaiting on Saturday. Following the club’s elimination from the Champions League on Wednesday, this competition represents their only shot at silverware.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, interim boss Guus Hiddink provided some injury updates. He confirmed that John Terry, who has been missing for a few weeks, and Eden Hazard, who limped off midweek, will both make the trip to Goodison Park.
"[Terry] worked rather well in the past days and he will be included in the travelling list…[Hazard] will be okay. He will be available. He’s desperate to participate in the team performance."
The club captain has been unavailable since hobbling off during the Newcastle game about one month ago. Although it looked innocuous at its occurrence, it has kept the defender sidelined for a considerable amount of time. However, he is back in training and may be reinstated to the starting eleven tomorrow afternoon.
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Hazard, meanwhile, struggled through the PSG clash and was in evident discomfort throughout. The decision to play him on Wednesday does seem silly, particularly given that he has brought no game-changing qualities to the team this season. A fully-fit and eager Bertrand Traore could have been more effective in the slot instead.
Nevertheless, what has happened has happened, and Hiddink’s comments suggest that he will feature again in what has now become the new biggest game of the season.
The FA Cup is the only competition in which Chelsea have anything to play for. An Everton win on Saturday would well and truly kill the Blues’ 2015/16 football season.
Diego Costa was another player who played through pain midweek and, despite scoring a goal, he was also forced off with an injury aggravation. Currently the only reliable source of goals, his participation will likely be key to victory at Goodison. However, the boss is unsure about his status.
"He went off and had some problems. Yesterday he had rest and treatment, today the same, so I will see how he is. It’s in his hip."
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While it is great to hear that Terry and Hazard are recovering well, Chelsea fans probably only cared about Costa’s availability. These remarks are not promising, but with the fixture being so important, expect him to be used at almost any cost.
All quotes taken from chelseafc.com.